Fact Check: Farage claims NATO “provoked” Russia

The Claim

Nigel Farage has repeatedly argued that NATO and EU expansion “provoked” Russia into hostility. He has suggested that Western foreign policy is partly responsible for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Context

Farage first made comments sympathetic to Russia’s position in 2014, saying that Vladimir Putin’s actions in Crimea were “entirely understandable.” Since then, he has reiterated that NATO and EU moves to expand eastward contributed to tensions.

In 2022 and 2023, during the Ukraine war, Farage claimed that “NATO poking the Russian bear” played a role in sparking the conflict — though he also insisted he did not support Putin’s invasion.

The Facts

  • NATO membership is voluntary: Countries such as Poland, the Baltic states, and others applied to join NATO for their own security. They were not forced by NATO or the EU.
  • Russia’s aggression predates NATO expansion: Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, before many of its recent neighbours joined NATO.
  • Scholarly consensus: Most independent experts reject the idea that NATO “provoked” the invasion. Instead, they point to Putin’s strategic goals and Russia’s desire to control its neighbours.
  • Kremlin narrative: Claims that NATO provoked Russia are a key part of Russian state propaganda, used to justify aggression and blame the West.

Verdict

❌ Misleading
While NATO enlargement was cited by Russia as a grievance, the claim that it “provoked” the Ukraine war oversimplifies and echoes Kremlin talking points. NATO is a defensive alliance, countries joined voluntarily, and Russia’s aggression cannot be explained as a simple reaction to NATO.

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